The Difference a Rider Makes

When I got back from my sidesaddle lesson I was rather overexcited about the fact that I had ridden a PUREBRED! CLASSICALLY TRAINED! LUSITANO! and couldn’t wait to show people the photos that my mum took of the lovely Xis. Some people were a little disappointed, and said, “But he just looks like a pony,” and I wondered if perhaps some horses weren’t photogenic, or somehow failed to give their best in the camera lens. The answer is a lot simpler. It’s all about the rider.

Here’s Xis noodling around the school with me as I try to work out how the hell to stay on board the sidesaddle:

Last week Mum went back to Pine Lodge to watch their annual display, and caught this shot of Xis with the German classical rider, Ute Pulvermacher:

See what I mean?

Published by Susanna Forrest

Writer Amazons of Paris, The Age of the Horse and If Wishes Were Horses.

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7 Comments

  1. I have a sleep inducing effect on most horses. I like to think it’s nice for them to have a rest, though I suspect Major Holbrooke would be yelling LEGS at me. In fact, anyone with half an eye would be yelling LEGS at me. And BAD, very BAD.

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